The unity nowadays is disappearing from ISKCON due to natural reasons. People who joined in the 70s were different from the people who joined in the 80s or 90s. The social dynamic is different in different countries. Therefore it is very important to find unifying principles, otherwise all those differences will tear our society apart.

Most probably Srila Prabhupada wanted to register our society with an elaborate description of the mission of the society called the Constitution of Association. But probably, due to some legal advice ISKCON was registered with the abridged version of the same thing – Seven Purposes of ISKCON.

Unhealthy diversity is now surfacing in ISKCON in different ways. If we don’t find very strong unifying principles in the words of Srila Prabhupada and in the mission of ISKCON and if we do not really imbibe this mission within ourselves, it will be difficult to maintain the unity of ISKCON.

The Constitution of Association has three parts: 1) external mission of ISKCON; 2) internal mission of ISKCON; 3) practical methodology on how to achieve these purposes.

There is a paradigm that there is a soul, there is mind and there is physical body. While the soul is the most important element. If we understand it, then balanced psychic and biological development will take place. The understanding that you are not this body but the soul can harmonize the individual life and the life in the society.

ISKCON is an educational institution, we have to systematically educate people on how to change their values, how to acquire new skills and to have the foundational knowledge to live properly within this Vedic paradigm.

The concept of God as a person can be presented to the people in general in such a way that it will not hurt their religious feelings. It can be presented in a very scientific and universal way so that it will be acceptable by any reasonable person and it can unify all the religions within this philosophical framework which Sri Krisna Himself gives in "Bhagavad-gita".

Questions.

We should try to think about what is our real mission, not the mission that we superimpose upon Prabhupada.

The key for unity is the service mood. When there is no emphasis on the service mood, then the natural tendency for the mood of enjoyment is manifested.

The whole society will be benefited if we meditate and put these documents (Constitution of Association, Seven Purposes of ISKCON) as unifying principles of our society. Those documents are for the unity of the whole world. If we cannot establish unity within our small society, it means that we are not following Prabhupada’s program.

If we have this physical conception that we are the body, there will always be this rampant competition between different people. But if we are the soul, then we don’t need to compete with others.

The way to unify the society is through education. If all the leaders are engaged in this education, then it will bring unity.